This post has been a long time coming. And is why I haven't been posting a lot lately. You see I felt compelled to write it , yet I struggled mightily even to begin.
It is not about horses this one, but it is a long winded post that I have started and stopped so many times, so be prepared . Also be prepared to maybe feel the tears I cried writing it . Change is inevitable I know but it still isn't always easy.
Many people move once twice or even several times in their lives. These folks have the blessing of a wandering spirit and the ability to take root where they are. Me? not so much . I have lived in 2 houses in my entire life , and my roots are dug in DEEP
I have mentioned before that the old family farm site has been sold, and we have been very busy getting things packed up and moved into storage or sold. Many treasures have come home to Martin and I , others to friends and family members. And we are nearing the finish of all this hard work. 50 years my folks lived in that house , but over 114 that place was home to the Horricks family . The first and only place my dad, Grandfather and Uncles lived until a short time ago . My dad of course moved with mom last spring to the seniors facility for mom to receive ongoing care. And Uncle Bill has bought a small parcel of land in the area.
I have been gone from that farm now longer than I lived there, but it was still home, the place I started . Packing has been difficult and melancholy thing for us, with moments of joy in remembering the wonderful childhood we spent and the amazing people who were the builders of this wonderful home and part of a proud heritage.
I could, and have written about the farm and my family before , and also I believe the guest posts that dad shared have given an idea, of the kind of people that made, and make up my family . So because I cannot type through tears very well I will share a little info on the history of the family name Horricks ( excerpts credit : the The House of names)
The saga of the name Horricks follows a line reaching back through history to the days of the
Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a name for someone who worked as a shipwright or a
sailor. The surname Horricks is derived from the Old English word horrok, which means
part of a ship. Occupational names frequently were derived from the principal object
associated with the activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products. These types of
occupational surnames are called metonymic surnames.
During the Dark Ages men of the church were the keepers of the written word; surveys were
compiled for the purpose of the king's taxes, births, deaths and marriages were recorded and
land purchases were registered. Among these records are the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086,
the Curia Regis Rolls, drawn up in the 11th century and many other documents. Evidence
from these documents suggests that the name Horricks was first found in Lancashire where
they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest
and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Early History
The Horricks family, which has descended from the Anglo-Saxon tribes, has a history that is
intertwined with that of the Anglo-Saxons themselves. In the 5th century first the Saxons, and
then the Angles, migrated to England and pushed the Britons into what is now Wales. They
established the kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Kent, Essex, Sussex and East
Anglia. These rival kingdoms were united under Egbert, king of Wessex. Surviving periodic
Viking invasions, the Anglo-Saxon culture continued to develop. In 994 a successful Danish
invasion eventually led to the expulsion of the Anglo-Saxon king, Ethelred. Ethelred fled to
Normandy, where his family remained until 1042. Up to this time a Danish dynasty of kings
ruled, then Edward the Confessor, son of Ethelred, came to the throne. Upon the death of
Edward in 1066, Harold Godwin was elected king, however, this choice was disputed by Duke
William of Normandy. William led yet another invasion of England and its success brought
the reign of the Norman kings. Despite the ever changing leadership the country remainedpredominantly Anglo-Saxon.The first years of Norman rule were marked by rebellion and oppression. William sought to
achieve political stability by increasing the central authority of the king. But not all reforms
were tyrannical in nature; for instance, learning was greatly encouraged during William's
reign. After the reigns of William and his sons, the disputes over succession ended when the
Plantagenet dynasty was founded.
The Horricks family emerged at this time in Lancashire where they were recorded as a family
of great antiquity seated with manor and estates in that shire. Robert Horrocks was Lord of
the manor of Horrocksford Hall in the parish of Clitheroe in Lancashire. They later
established branched in the same county at Preston and Larkhill. The name was early associated
with the famous Lancashire cotton trade of which the Horrocks became magnates
Spelling Variations
Revealed in these documents are the various ways in which the Horricks surname was spelled.
This surname appeared as Horrocks, Horrock, Horrox, Horrocksford and Horrexand these
changes in spelling could even appear between father and son. It was not unheard of for the
same individual to be referred to with their surname spelled differently multiple times. Even
literate individuals such as Shakespeare spelled their own name in many different ways. This
famous playwright's name can be found recorded as Shakespere, Shakspere and even Shaxspere.
There are many different reasons for the variety of spellings a name many have, one of which
is that early English lacked spelling rules. Words were recorded as they sounded until spelling
rules were formalized.
Early Notables
Distinguished members of the family at this time included Jeremiah Horrocks (1619-41)
astronomer, born in Liverpool, who became curate of Hoole, Lancashire where he made his
first observation of the transit of Venus on November 24, 1639. He then deduced the solar
parallax, corrected the solar diameter and made tidal observations.
Intersting and a proud heritage indeed, but those Horriks/Horrocks are a far cry from the family I call mine.
The Horricks in my immediate heritage include William Horricks my great Grandfather.
| Birth: | Jul. 20, 1863 Ontario, Canada |
| Death: | Jan. 15, 1939 Alberta, Canada |
 "William and Margaret first established their home in Westmeath, near Pembroke. The barn he built is still in use but the house has been replaced. The land was better for farming than in the Drummond area. William also worked in the lumber camps every winter to add to his income. Here, eight of their eleven children were born." "In 1899, still in search of better farmland, William decided to join the trek of settlers to the West. After stopping in Calgary to inspect property there, he decided to push on to Edmonton and there found what he sought - 640 acres of flat fertile land only six miles from the heart of the city. He bought it for $6 and acre. Thirteen years later, at the peak of the Edmonton real estate boom, he was to turned down an offer of $600 an acre for the SE 1/4.) With the help of his elder sons, the first log house and barns were soon built and the land cleared (no stones!) and brought into production." "In the early years of the new century, William worked every winter hauling freight with horses and sleighs to Athabaska (sic) before the extension of the railroad to that northerly point. Three more children were born..." "As the farm prospered, large frame barns, granaries and a frame house replaced the early builidings. William was fond of gardening, and his well-planned landscaping is still very much in evidence around the farm. He inherited his father's love of music and singing, and saw to it that all his daughters took piano lessons. He also liked the theatre and travelling. When William retired from active farming, the two youngest sons took over the "home place", buying additional tracts of land for their herds of beef cattle and dairy cows. Over the years, twelve more houses were built, some for the hired help, some for George's sons as they grew up and were married. William died January 15, 1939 of a heart attack following a stroke. Margaret outlived him by 14 years, dying on July 3, 1953, aged 89 years." Submitted by Emily Hebert as recorded by John and Ruth Armstrong, Family History in Six Volumes; Horricks-Magee, p. 220.) -------------------------------------- | |
They also include brave souls who fought for their country in the 1st and second world wars, William, and Albert who's records are posted online and others . Young boys really who fought bravely and died for their country. Men I never knew but have been raised to honor in memory.
I am sure all who have read my blog for any length of time ,know how very proud I am of my heritage. They have left me some pretty big shoes to fill, and while I doubt I will truly ever live up to them , I am sure determined to try.
There is a lovely song out there that has the line "Wild flowers don't care where they grow"
They may not, but I am a pretty tame plant and I do care and as I said ,my roots run deep.
I will leave you with a picture of an old sentry left at the home place , still standing guard so to speak ,in the remains of the old dairy yard
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Stay safe my friends
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